Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-27
DUYAL COUNTY.

Some Idea How the Mexican Farms-rhe
Wool Season, but Money Scarce.
Correspondence of the Gazette.
SAN DIEGO, TEX, May l8.-The wool sea
son which is now well advanced, snd really
in this section may be SAID to be nearly
over with, caused business to brighten up
q little and made times somewhat livelier
than they have been, though 1 cannot say
we are having flush times in our "city in
the woods" Money has been so very
scarce that what mas been received in pay
ment of the wool clips sold here has been
absorbed almost, if not quite, in the set
Element of old and outstanding accounts.
There has been up to this time consid-
cradle amount of wool sold this season,
Mr.. Laing of Collins, in NueCes county,
being the largest buyer, and Messrs.
Hirsch, Murphy & Gussett of Corpus
Christi the next heaviest purchasers in
our markets. The prices of the better
qualities range from about Is to II cents.
There are still a good many clips to come
in, however, and the buyers are active.
We have had some good, refreshing
showers during the last few days, though
no heavy, soaking rains TO fill our water
ing places and tanks, such as we really
very much need. Yet these showers have
done q great deal of good, and the grass
is springing up fresh and green. All
classes OF stock are looking sleek and
fine, and are improving in condition
daily. This is good growing weather,
and excellent crops of corn and other
cereals might be made if we only had
good farmers amongst US; but oh, how
few there are in this county, If the one
horse farmer could see our maiZslS, corn
fields, he would groan in spirit to see as
rich valleys as ever q crow flew over so
badly cultivated-In the most of them the
rows not more than from twenty inches
to two feet apart, and the corn planted SO
thick that person could not possibly get
through it without breaking the stalks, so
that they are actually choked and kept
from growing, and yet they expect
to make good crop of corn.
The most singular thing is that owing TO
the natural strength and richness Of the
soil, they do, in good seasons, make some
corn and plenty of nubbins, probably a
little more than half as much So they
would make if they plowed the land
properly and at the right time, (Which
they never do and planted their corn in
rows 8 reasonable distance apart, that
the air might get to it. Just think, if
corn can be made with such a miserable
pretense at cultivation, what would the
same fields produce if planted and tend
ed properly? Duval county has no great |
er or more urgent want than that of q
few farmers to develop her magnificent
resources. [ could give you an amusing
description of the so-called aldeano or
farmer here who, with a crooked stick !
having pointed steel or iron to it, which !
he dignifes by the name of pillow, goes !
into his field and scratches over the sur
face where it is not very hard) to the |
depth of two or three inches, then he |
puts in the corn at from four to five
breadths of his plow apart. As
the plow is not over four or
five inches wide, the corn rows are |
scarcely ever more than tweuty-four !
inches apart and as straight-Wel as an !
"0ld Virginia worm-fence," but think |
this will give you some idea of our Next
can farmers. There are some few, how
ever, who are beginning to use the |
Gringo's plow, but there are not many, |
and then it takes two men and small
boy to guide the oxen or horse, and hold |
the plow.
A very sad accident occurred about |
fifteen leagues south of Pene Station on |
the 18th. Norman Lidwell, young man |
some twenty-five or tWenty-three years |
old in running his horse and in the act of |
lassoing another, was thrown violently to /
the ground, the animal he was riding |
falling on him. He never spoke after
wsrds and died on the train while being |
taken to Corpus Christi, where his mother
and sister reside. His two brothers were |
on the cars with him, but his injuries
were mortal and notaipg gould save his
young life. He was much loved for his |
maAy good and steIliIssddalitles.